Practice Makes Permanent

"Less is more, more is less."

When I worked in a kitchen over ten years ago (wow, I'm old), that was the first thing one of the chefs taught me. This principle carries over to training as well, especially when focusing on the quality of the lift.

You’re probably thinking, "But Sebb, it’s about the amount you do, and to get better, you need more repetition."

Well, sorry, you’re wrong… well, not completely wrong. Let me explain.

Firstly, the amount "everyone" can handle at once is going to be different person to person, when working on a new quality of movement the amount of repetitions, and the amount of coaching someone can handle is going to vary before you feel tired and can't continue to focus.

Just because you get more practice in the movement doesn’t mean it's good-quality practice. You could still be repeating the same poor-quality movement over and over, reinforcing those bad habits. Now, perfection is never going to happen—there's no such thing as perfect—but the more precise we can be, the greater the chance for improvement. When I talk about quality, I mean technique, speed, and timing.

Utilising Your Warm-Up Sets

A solid warm-up is more than just a way to prepare yourself for heavier loads. It’s an opportunity to fine-tune your movement patterns and prime your body for better performance. Too many people overlook the importance of the warm-up, treating it as a quick, mandatory step to get to the “real” workout. However, if you rush through your warm-up or approach it with the wrong mindset, you’re setting yourself up for failure later on.

If you approach your warm-up sets haphazardly, rushing through your warmup sets without focusing on key points in the lifts, the habits you form will carry over into your actual lifts. These poor movement patterns won’t magically fix themselves as you add more weight. In fact, the more weight you load onto the bar, the more ingrained those bad habits will become. A careless warm-up will often lead to careless execution during the workout itself, creating a cycle of inefficient movement that’s difficult to break.

Quality Over Repetition

Many lifters claim to be working on their technique, yet they continue to perform poor-quality reps, even with lighter weights. This can be incredibly detrimental to progress. When you focus solely on adding weight to the bar or pushing for more reps, your quality often deteriorates, and your body starts to adapt to that inefficient movement. 

Even when you lower the weight to an empty barbell or a light load, if your technique doesn’t improve, your body will continue reinforcing the same faulty movement patterns.

"Practice Makes Perfect"? Not Without Precision

The old saying "practice makes perfect" is often used in the gym, but it’s only true if the practice is intentional and mindful. If you're practicing poor movement quality day in and day out, you're not perfecting your lifts—you’re perfecting bad habits. Instead, the more accurate phrase would be "practice makes permanent." Whatever you do repeatedly, whether good or bad, becomes ingrained in your body. That’s why it’s critical to ensure that your practice is focused on good quality, not just lifting heavier.

Consistency in training is important, but it’s equally important to maintain consistency in performing good technique. If you can’t execute a movement with precision using lighter weights, there’s no reason to believe you’ll be able to suddenly fix it when you add more load. This is why it’s essential to slow down and prioritize quality over quantity, especially when learning new movements or working on weak areas.

Building Efficient Movement Patterns: The Road to Success

So how do you make sure you’re practicing with intention? Start by paying attention to your warm-up sets. Use it as a time to focus on the better positions in the lift, or better speed throughout a lift, whatever you’re working on, as you warm up this is a great time to dial in any errors or cues you need to focus on. Don’t just go through the motions; use every rep as an opportunity to improve the quality of your movement.

The Bottom Line: Practice with Purpose

Whether it’s your warm-up or your actual lifts, what you practice becomes ingrained in your movement patterns. Consistency is key, but the quality of your consistency matters more than the quantity of your efforts. If you continually rush through your warm-ups or perform reps with poor technique, you’ll only solidify bad habits that will hinder your progress in the long run.

Remember, “practice makes permanent.” What you practice consistently will become part of your body’s movement repertoire, whether it’s correct or not. So slow down, focus on the fundamentals, and practice with precision. By prioritizing quality over quantity, you’ll be laying the foundation for stronger, more efficient movement that will pay off in the long run—both in the gym and beyond.

The easiest way to improve the quality of your lifts is effective program with appropriate constraints and variations to your training, with key areas to focus in. Here is blog that dives into this deeper.

Ready to Take Your Lifting to the Next Level?

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Spots are limited, so don’t wait—click here to book your session now and make this the year you lift smarter, stronger, and with more purpose.

- Coach Sebb